The history of San Jose’s Italian American Heritage Foundation is deeply entwined with the history of the United States itself. The group was formed, after all, in 1975 when the city asked the local Italian community, led by Rocco Pisano and Don Lima, to host a downtown concert for the nation’s bicentennial the following summer.

Since those original 15 members created the organization in July 1976, the group has continued to celebrate the accomplishments of Santa Clara County’s Italian-American community. It runs a scholarship program and hosts the annual Italian Family Festa. Its cultural center on North Fourth Street has been the locale for countless birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and other celebrations in the community.

So it’s only fitting that’s where the foundation’s 40th anniversary dinner dance will be held Nov. 5. Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese will give the keynote address, and the evening will include an Italian dinner catered by Saratoga’s Florentine Trattoria.

There are a limited number of tickets available for $80 each. Get more information at www.iahfsj.org/events, by emailing events@iahfsj.org or by calling the IAHF office at 408-293-7122.

RAISE A GLASS TO EDUCATION: The San Jose-Dublin Sister Cities Program is inviting supporters to an Irish whiskey tasting event Nov. 3 at Five Points, the new craft cocktail bar in downtown San Jose. Sean O’Kane, president of the San Jose-Dublin Sister Cities Program, says you don’t have to know a thing about Irish whiskey to enjoy the event as there’ll be a representative from Jameson on hand to guide tasters through a historical tour of the spirit.

And since whiskey isn’t everyone’s thing, there’ll also be craft beer tasting, food and music by the Charmas Trio. Tickets are $75, with proceeds benefiting the program’s Pat McMahon Masters Level Scholarship Fund. The fund has paid for grad students from Dublin City University to study at San Jose State, and O’Kane says they’re working on raising enough money to send an SJSU student to Dublin.

SPOOKY SUDS: The San Jose Giants may be done for the season but there’s still action going on at Municipal Stadium this weekend. “Boofest, A Nightmare on Alma Street” will feature nearly three dozen craft breweries from around Northern California on Friday and Saturday. There will be games like “bobbing for donuts,” a costume contest and a face painter.

Friday night’s event is restricted to 21-and-up, while Saturday is open for all ages. Tickets are $49-$69, with a discount for kids on Saturday, and are available at www.sjboofest.com.

QUICK CALL: Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone has a good sense of when a property’s value is going up. So even though he was out of town when he heard that East San Jose restaurant Adega had received a Michelin star — the city’s first — he called his wife Carmen and had her make a reservation there for this weekend. You’ve got to figure that book will start filling up fast with the Portuguese restaurant’s new fame.

Sal Pizarro has written the Around Town column for The Mercury News since 2005. His column covers the people and events surrounding the cultural scene in Silicon Valley. In addition, he writes Cocktail Chronicles, a feature column on Silicon Valley bars and nightclubs.

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